Boat owners, particularly owners of relatively small boats (e.g., less than twenty five feet in length) oftentimes find it desirable to moor their boats in slips or boat lifts. These systems provide quick access to the boat and ensure the boat is secured and protected from wave action.
In order to protect the boat from the elements (e.g., the effects of sun and precipitation), a canopy is oftentimes placed over the slip or boatlift to provide a modicum of protection from the weather. This is particularly important for boats with fine wood and fiberglass hulls, as continued exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun degrade the fine wood (e.g., mahogany and teak woods), finish, fiberglass, and/or substantially any material that the boat may be constructed from and/or contain (e.g., vinyl seats). The more the boat may be brought under the cover of the canopy the better it will be protected from the elements. While a canopy does provide protection against the elements, it only provides the maximum benefit if it is relatively close to the boat itself. A problem occurs, however, in that boaters must have easy access to their boats (i.e., to board and/or load their boats) or the boat geometry limits the canopy placement (wakeboard towers, Bimini tops, etc.). Many boat owners are forced to compromise in their placement of the canopy to allow access to the boat while providing at least some protection.
Other protective devices lower and raise a canopy or cover onto the top of a boat through cables and lines that hang above the boatlift. These canopies, however, due to their use of hanging cables provide the canopy or cover with an undesirable range of motion which extends beyond the vertical plane (i.e., the canopy is free to move laterally). This creates the potential for the canopy to undesirably contact the boat (e.g., the canopy may be repeatedly blown into the boat by a strong wind) and cause damage to the boat.
Also there are side and end curtain devices that attach to the frame of the canopy of a boat hoist or boat dock that can be lowered using gravity to surround the boat below the canopy when the boat is not being used and raised by pulling the curtains up when boat to the access is desired. Similar devices have also been used on motorcycle covers, golf cart covers, recreational vehicle covers and personal watercraft/jet ski covers.
If there is a mechanical issue with the drawstring system (motor failure, etc.), it is very difficult to manually actuate the system to get access to the boat.
Systems that only move one side or end at a time create a dangerous wind load condition for boat lifts. Many boat lift structures are not anchored to the sea bed. When the weight of the boat is not in lift (when out boating), the large surface area of the unmoved sides quickly create forces that can roll over or damage the boat lift structure.
Additionally, the aforementioned prior art curtain systems cannot be quickly installed and removed from boat slips and boat lifts to allow for easy seasonal storage.
Accordingly, there is a need for a side curtain deployment system on canopy assemblies that overcomes the drawbacks of prior art systems.